DFW Reporting » musician

Johnny Cooper’s latest album is not red dirt music [HD]

Rachel Christianson — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 05:22:44 +0000

Texas band Johnny Cooper is putting their own spin on the country music scene.

“We tour with a lot of country dance halls and what not so we’re definitely the most pop band out there putting on an actual show,” said drummer Joe “Joey” Cortez IV. “We try and deliver it a little different than what most dance hall bands are doing out there.”

“We kind of mix in a bunch of stuff,” said lead guitarist Johnny Cooper. “We mix in country, rock and funk. Everybody in the band all love all kinds of music so we try and take a little bit from everything that we love and put it together to come up with our own stuff.”

Johnny Cooper, from Wichita Falls, Texas, has been playing music since he was 15. He was taking drum lessons from a friend who asked him if he could learn to play the guitar in just two weeks.

“Me and my dad sat down,” said Cooper. “He’s a very good piano player and he played in bands when he was growing up too so he kind of helped me out teaching me how to play the guitar. With the piano I learned about 12 songs, played that first gig and have been doing it ever since.”

Now Johnny Cooper puts on about 250 shows a year.

“I can definitely tell you you are in store for a good time,” said Cooper. “I can promise you that. We have a lot of high energy on stage. We don’t just stand there and play our instruments all night. My thought process is if you wanted to see us live then you wanted to see a show. If you just wanted to listen to the music then you would sit at home and listen to it on your stereo.”

The band originally broke out into the red dirt scene, which is a country, rock n roll scene born out of Oklahoma, but with their latest album they’re trying something new.

“When he started writing that’s what he was doing,” said keyboard player Nick Ghanbari. “He just came out with this new album last year called Follow which had a lot of organ parts, a lot of rock and alternative oriented stuff. Even some hip hop and stuff like that too.”

And the fans seem to like it. There’s a huge following for Johnny Cooper almost every time the band plays.

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Cameron Ernst performs in Dallas [HD]

Kimber Westphall — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:14:37 +0000

With his heart on his sleeve and his soul poured into his songs, Cameron Ernst is pursuing his passion.

“I had played a couple shows in LA and I just decided I wasn’t really feeling it and then I came to Dallas,” said musician Cameron Ernst.

Some may question his bold move from the Hollywood scene to Big D, but Ernst saw a trend with the Dallas live music setting and wanted a chance to be part of the community.

“It’s a really tight-knit community of people that are just kind, loving people and I see that going a long way,” said Ernst.

Ernst first Dallas musical debut happened at Crooked Tree CoffeeHouse in Uptown.

“It’s really exciting to be able to just come and within a month of being here play a show,” said Ernst. “I’m really blessed to have Crooked Tree have me play the show and I think that hopefully there’s more to come after this.

“I drove from Waco, Texas which is about an hour and a half away just to see Cameron in concert because I’ve never seen him in concert so I was excited,” said Jennica Botonis.

A special fan in particular was looking forward to her son’s first North Texas performance.

“I’m so excited, very proud and he’s working really hard,” said Cameron’s mother Tammi Ernst.

Some artists may be gifted with vocal talent, but have a tough time crafting the message they wish to sing. Ernst prides himself in being both a singer and a songwriter.

“I love creating that hook and then creating a song around that hook,” said Ernst. “It’s different every time.”

Some may classify Ernst as a modern day Shakespeare, chasing the fairy tale love story in his lyrics. But it’s not always a happy ending. Ernst exposes vulnerability and heartbreak in his music as well. He also writes lyrics about life lessons, with inspirational undertones. The common thread that links each song together is they are all driven by raw emotions.

“I write about songs that are real situations that happen to me or people I know and I feel like people can relate with those real situations,” said Ernst.

Ernst is propelled into the real world, with one big leap of faith. Earning a college degree from the University of Southern California, he is foregoing a traditional job and pursuing his passion.

“I think your passion is given to you for a reason and you should go after that and stay true to it,” said Ernst.

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Multi-platinum selling band Everclear at Stockyards Stampede [HD]

Erica Fox — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:07:16 +0000

Iconic, multi-platinum selling band Everclear performed at Stockyards Stampede in Fort Worth.

Known as a band that defined the sound of alternative rock, Everclear has recently reclaimed their position as a vital force in the music scene today, touring devotedly to reconnect with fans nationwide. Their latest album In a Different Light features stripped-down reinterpretations of classics from the Everclear songbook, including “Everything to Everyone” and “Santa Monica” alongside new favorites such as “At the End of the Day.” Nationwide, the band has found their shows triumphantly affirming their importance to music fans of all kinds. “It’s amazing to see the enthusiasm and intensity of our fans – they range from 15 to 50,” says Alexakis. “It’s great to see kids in middle school singing all the words to every song!”

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Brandon Rhyder releases Head Above Water album [HD]

Chris Ghanbari — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:10:55 +0000

Texas musician Brandon Rhyder has released his sixth album titled Head Above Water as he celebrates his fast rising single, “Rock Angel,” which landed number one on both the Texas Music chart and the Texas Regional Radio report.

“Really songwriting is the first aspect of the foundation for me,” said music artist Brandon Rhyder. “It’s a lot of fun. The fans come out. You don’t really realize sometimes on this side of the fence how much someone else appreciates what you do.”

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